


The Potion

by magog_83



Category: The Eagle | Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Eagle kinkmeme, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-03
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magog_83/pseuds/magog_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the kinkmeme prompt 'After the Quest, Esca buys from a druid he knows near Calleva a magic potion. This special potion ensure that the drinker loses his inhibitions towards the person he is in love with. Esca thinks Marcus is in love with a girl but is too shy to declare his love. He wants more than anything else for his beloved friend and brother in arm to be happy, so he pours the potion in his drink, even if it tears at his heart.</p>
<p>He is surprised but overwhelmed when Marcus comes to him after supper, whereas he expected to be deserted. Marcus, having lost his inhibitions, does what he always wanted to do in his heart of hearts. Esca is swept off his feet. Of course, Marcus worries the morning after that he may have imposed on Esca. The latter reassures him</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Potion

**Author's Note:**

> Just a repost, since I never properly deanoned on this one.

The old druid woman had not been as eager to sell as Esca had expected. In his experience most things in Roman towns could be bought for money, whether it was a charm or a pretty girl (or boy), but the woman had refused him outright at first, batting away his generous bag of coins and offering him a guard against sickness instead. She’d seemed surprised when Esca persisted, telling him such potions were not to be taken lightly or used to coerce where the object of affection was unwilling. All this Esca knew already and knew was no impediment. The women of the town were not unwilling, far from it, but Esca had heard his Uncle despair on more than one occasion of Marcus ever finding a suitable match among them.

He had been trying to convince the woman of his honourable intentions when she’d caught sight of Marcus himself, waving at Esca as he hurried towards them, smiling happily, not an expression to make the old woman smirk as knowingly as she did.

“Ah, it is always the same with Romans, so skilled in battle but hopeless in matters of the heart.”

“What?” Esca said, distractedly. He watched with relief as Marcus was waylaid by several of his uncle’s friends, buying him precious time. He had thought himself successful in stealing away from Marcus today, but the man seemed to have a gift for finding him.

The old woman clucked her tongue, drawing his attention away from his friend at last. “The potion, it is for your Roman yes? And for you?”

“No!” Esca said at once, realising her mistake. “It is for Marcus... my patron,” he corrected himself, “He must find a wife, I only wish to help him win her. As his friend,” he stressed the last especially.

Belatedly he realised he should not have protested quite so vigorously. The old woman looked at him with an amusement that only increased when Marcus finally reached them, putting a friendly hand on Esca’s shoulder, as was his habit, and treating him to a relieved smile, his fingers tightening in a way that made Esca’s traitorous heart start beating a little faster. “There you are Esca, I had thought you gone home without me.”

Esca smiled wanly and tried to think of an excuse Marcus would believe, but to his surprise he didn’t have to.

“I was selling your client one of my tonics,” the old woman said, pushing the bottle into Esca’s hand and curling his fingers over it. She named a price far lower than Esca had offered.

“You are not sick?” Marcus said, turning to Esca in concern.

The old woman snorted before Esca could think of a reply. “’Tis a sickness soon cured,” she said, unhelpfully in Esca’s opinion. “One good night should do it. The effects do not last long, but by then you will not care.” She winked at them.

“We must go,” he said hastily, before Marcus – good patron that he was – could start discussing Esca’s imaginary treatment or notice the woman’s odd behaviour. “I thank you for your help.”

“Use it well,” she called after them, before she gathered up her meagre goods and was soon swallowed up by the crowds.

That night Esca looked long at the small bottle. Dishonesty did not sit well with them, as it should not with any honourable man, but he had found in his many months with Marcus that there was not much he would not stoop to on his behalf. He had witnessed the frustration that followed Marcus’s forays into Calleva society with his uncle, his brooding and unhappiness, and at first he could see no reason for it. Their trip beyond the wall had made Marcus a hero to many, in spite of his injury, he had surely only to ask and any woman would have him. Yet he did not ask, and after a while Esca had begun to think it was his manner, so stiff and formal, almost shy in their presence. It could do no harm, he reasoned, to help him. He had been assured the potion would not change his feelings, only enable him to speak them truly.

With a small prayer to his own gods for his actions, he poured the liquid into Marcus’s wine, grateful that he and his uncle had different taste in that at least. Then he withdrew to the garden to watch and wait – he might do this for Marcus’s sake, but that did not mean he had to be with him as the potion worked its charm.

From his vantage point below the window he could see the meal progress. Marcus seemed fidgety that evening, tense, and Esca wondered dully if he was even now thinking about his woman and when he might next see her. But no, he hadn’t drank much of his wine yet. Esca shifted to give himself a better view of the table and saw he had near a full glass still. The minutes passed slowly, filled with Aquila’s quiet and rather one-sided conversation, until Esca’s leg began to go to sleep. He was just considering how he might move without drawing attention to himself when the older man turned the conversation to marriage (not very subtly in Esca’s opinion, with Marcus you had to tread carefully) and all at once Marcus drained his glass dry, coughing a little as he finished.

“Are you quite well, my boy?” his uncle asked mildly.

“Yes, I am sorry, I felt... over warm.”

With hardly a blink, his uncle began talking again and Esca settled down once more to watch Marcus. He had no idea how long it would take to work and could only hope it would be soon. Evidently the potion was quick, within minutes he noticed Marcus fidgeting even more than usual, rubbing at his face once or twice as though the wine had dulled his wits. A few moments of that and he began looking around the room, his dissatisfaction clear on his face, his face growing flushed in the candlelight. 

“Marcus, if you are feeling unwell you do not have to humour me,” his uncle broke in again, when it became clear Marcus was not attending to him in the slightest.

Marcus blinked at him, still frowning, then said abruptly, “Where is...” He stopped and looked around again. “No matter, I will go myself.”

With that cryptic remark he stood, and with only the slightest of stumbles, strode from the room, leaving his uncle staring after him.

Esca drew back and slid down to sit on the cold floor. So that was it. Esca had done his part and now Marcus would do his. His Uncle Aquila would be overjoyed no doubt, as would everyone at the villa, and if Esca felt differently, his heart heavy in his chest, then they would not know it, and nor would his wife, whoever she might be. Marcus was his dear friend and brother. Esca had not stayed at his side all these months in the hope of anything more, let him only have this night to wallow, in the morning he would be glad for them.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he stood and started to make his way back to his small chamber next to Marcus’s. There had been some commotion while he sat hidden, loud footsteps and a door banging and Sasstica’s indignant voice, then silence. Marcus must have gone then. Slipping quietly away from the window, Esca made his way to the courtyard – and stopped dead.

Marcus was still there, standing alone in the middle of the courtyard. He had his hands on his hips, a stance that Esca had always found endearing, especially when it was coupled with a frown, as now, and he was looking around again, the seriousness of his expression only negated by his otherwise dishevelled appearance. Esca had not seen his hair so rumpled since his uncle had set him at the books, threatening to make a clerk of him yet.

But what was he doing still here? Had the potion confused him so much he could not remember the way to the town? Esca took a deep breath and forced his voice to steadiness.

“Marcus, are you lost?”

At his words, Marcus’s head snapped round, finding Esca unerringly even in the dusk and an extraordinary change came over his face, the heavy frown replaced by a smile, wide and happy, such as Esca rarely saw on his friend. “Esca!” he said, with what seemed quite unwarranted enthusiasm. “I have been looking for you everywhere.”

“You have?” Esca said, confused. “Did you need me to...”

He got no further as Marcus, to his utter shock, strode across the courtyard, seized him and kissed him with such fervour he nearly lifted him clear off the ground (something that, in other circumstances, Esca might well have objected to. Marcus knew well not to take advantage of his smaller stature). 

“What are you doing?” Esca gasped as Marcus released him, setting him back on the ground with care but immediately curling his fingers into the cloth of Esca’s tunic as though he feared he might lose him again.

Now it was Marcus’s turn to look confused. “I am kissing you, do Brigantes do such things differently, because I am willing to learn.”

Esca stared at him. “No, that is we do not kiss as...” he stopped and shook his head as if to clear it, having Marcus pressed against him like a furnace was distracting. “Don’t you wish to go to Calleva?”

Marcus gave him a fond look, then said in a perfectly reasonable tone, “but if we go to Calleva we will not be able to fuck for hours, possibly not until the morning.”

It was possible there was not enough air in the courtyard, yes, that had to be it, Esca thought, as he gaped at Marcus, feeling lightheaded. 

Apparently taking his silence for agreement, Marcus smiled again and took one of Esca’s hands firmly in his own, tugging him purposefully towards his bedchamber.

“Wait,” Esca managed weakly, feeling that he had to say something since the potion had obviously gone horribly, terribly wrong. “You are not yourself.” He pulled sharply at Marcus’s hands, digging his heels in.

Marcus turned and looked at Esca in a way that made him feel breathless with want, his face flushed and eyes already dark, but Esca managed to say shakily, “I will not go another step until you listen to me.”

For a moment he thought it had worked, then Marcus rolled his eyes and with a strength Esca had almost forgotten he possessed, bad leg or no, he suddenly bent, catching Esca around the waist and throwing him over one shoulder with a grunt of effort before shaking with silent laughter at Esca’s shocked squawk of protest that followed.

“Marcus! Put me down _immediately._ ” Whatever authority might have otherwise been in his voice was undermined by his breathlessness as he was jolted along, his face growing hot both at the indignity of his position and the clear intent in Marcus’s actions.

Marcus ignored him, refusing to relinquish his hold until they reached the privacy of Marcus’s chamber where Esca was unceremoniously dropped upon the bed, his fall broken by the nest of blankets. He had barely time to catch his breath before Marcus was stripping off his tunic and climbing over him, giving Esca a clear view of his naked chest in all its toned and golden glory, hard to resist at the best of times, but more so now when Marcus’s dark gaze was fixed on him like he wanted to devour Esca and was only barely holding himself in check.

Esca swallowed hard. He would have to tell him the truth, though the consequences might be more than he could bear. He could not allow his friend to do this, however much Esca wanted it, not when he would regret it so bitterly in the morning. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word Marcus suddenly bent his head and kissed him again, not on his mouth this time but in the hollow of his throat, his lips vibrating against his skin as he started speaking, an endless stream of words, tumbling out of him as though too long confined.

“Do you know how long I wanted to kiss you here? Ever since I first saw you sunburned, do you remember? When I had made you come to town with me and it was so hot I thought my leg would collapse beneath me before we made it back. You looked so unhappy with your red face and then by the evening there were freckles, all across here,” and he paused to lavish attention on the wings of Esca’s collarbones, small licks and kisses that burned Esca’s skin far more than the sun ever could. “I used to stare at them when you could not see me, and imagine what you would do if I pushed you down like this and mapped them with my mouth.”

He pulled back and nosed at the underside of Esca’s jaw, nudging his head back so he might kiss more easily along the arch of his throat, the curve of his jaw, all the while letting his hand move slowly, slowly, under the hem of Esca’s tunic, tangling his fingers in the ties of his braccae and pulling lightly, then rubbing his thumb over the bulge beneath as Esca squirmed and desperately tried to make sense of what he was hearing. It was too good to be true, it was... everything, everything he had ever wanted Marcus to say to him, to do to him, he could hardly let himself believe it.

“Are... are you sure?” he gasped, tugging at Marcus’s hair until he left Esca’s neck and pushed himself up on his elbows, looming over Esca, their noses almost touching, Marcus’s bulk pressing Esca into the blankets. “Are you sure?” Esca said again, searching Marcus’s eyes for any sign of confusion, but there was only desire there and a naked affection that made Esca want to turn his face, unused as he was to seeing such a look directed at himself. It had been many years since anyone had looked at Esca in such a way, as though he were something precious and beloved, or perhaps, he thought as Marcus frowned a little and bent his head to kiss him softly on the lips, it had been only hours and Esca had not been looking all this while. 

“I am sure,” Marcus said firmly, before adding, with a puzzlement that gave Esca a pang of guilt, “although I had not planned... That is, I did not expect to act so suddenly.”

Esca recalled the druid woman’s words about the longevity of the potion. He had wasted precious time hiding in the bushes it seemed, but if that meant he was left with Marcus as he truly was, that was no bad thing, and given Marcus’s ideas of proper behaviour he would likely have gone another twelve months before he had given Esca the slightest sign of his feelings, so the potion had done its work well. And all that while, Esca might have been endeavouring to match him with any number of Roman women, a thought that made him pull Marcus back down against him, wrapping his arms around him as if he might personally guard him from all the prospective brides of Calleva.

“Ow,” Marcus muttered, reaching up to untangle Esca’s hands and roll them over, pulling Esca on top of him as he spread his thighs, Esca settling comfortably between them. Esca looked down at him and thought that there must still be some of the potion lingering for him to behave so, he knew enough of Romans and their morals and what was and was not acceptable between men. But he would not complain, not when he let his hand slide down Marcus’s thigh, testing, and Marcus nodded and arched up, tugging Esca down to kiss him, his strong fingers working desperately at his braccae.

It was not often Esca enjoyed being wrong. 

....

In the morning Esca woke to Cub whining outside the door and Marcus’s sombre face. 

“What is it?” he said, rolling over and struggling up onto his elbows. His stomach twisted unpleasantly at the thought that he had somehow been mistaken the night before and had ruined everything between them.

Marcus looked away, a flush creeping up his neck, and Esca’s heart sank before he heard Marcus’s words. “I am sorry if I took advantage last night, or conducted myself in a way that...”

Esca laughed, half in incredulity and half in relief, as Marcus, his stubborn, foolish Marcus faltered to a halt and stared at him in surprise and perhaps a little hurt. “Do you want me?” Esca asked, since there seemed no more point in subterfuge, not after all they had done.

Marcus reddened even more, a bruise (left by Esca’s mouth sometime before dawn) standing out livid on his neck. “I... yes.”

Esca pushed him down and climbed on top – he had discovered it was quite his favourite place. “Then you can have me. You could always have had me. Did I not tell you I was the centurion’s hound? If you want me, where should I sleep but at your side, close to you as your own shadow?”

Marcus took a moment to answer, then reached out to take Esca’s hand in his, tangling their fingers together and pressing them against his chest, over his heart. “Then it is settled,” he said, and it was enough.

As Esca leaned down to kiss him as thoroughly as he knew how, he reflected that he would find a way to give the rest of his money to the druid woman, somehow he would. She had certainly earned it.

The End.


End file.
